Mazda MX-5 wins in latest 8-hour endurance race

Team MSCC Mazda Miata was hailed as the overall race champion 2022 Petron Makabayan Endurance Race Challenge.

The team— powered by international race driver and MSCC Miata Spec Series first runner-up Angie King, along with racing veterans Tyson Sy and Gaby dela Merced — was able to complete 188 laps during the eight hours of non-stop racing.  The trio bested 32 other teams and crossed the checkered flag ahead of 17 other finishers.

With the fastest time of 2:16:648—the MSCC Miata Spec Series car lapped the 4.2-kilometer Clark International Speedway 188 times in 8 hours—a new record for the endurance race. It finished two laps ahead of the second-place car.

Apart from that, the team — powered by the Mazda MX-5 — also won the Class 1 and Open A categories for both the four- and eight-hour race.

According to Mazda Philippines, vehicle used in the competition is nearly identical to the one-make MSCC Miata Spec Series race car, “differing only with minor changes to the suspension and chassis to preserve its tires for the eight-hour endurance race.”

The 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine and six-speed Skyactiv-Drive manual transmission found in the race car, Mazda Philippines said, are found to be completely stock.

Further, Team MSCC Mazda Miata’s race car wore an eye-catching livery for the race. Dubbed as “Imagine,” the digitally-printed vinyl wrap complemented the vehicle’s award-winning design into a rolling work of art. “The use of contrasting colors is meant to exude a sense of power, motion, and energy — attributes that are apt for the most-raced car in the world. Its race number, #55, is an homage to the Mazda 787B which won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Mazda Philippines explained in a statement.

Mazda Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Steven Tan explained that the company kept the engine and transmission stock in the Team MSCC Mazda Miata because “in endurance racing, a car must not only be fast, but also be reliable and fuel efficient.”

“Powered by Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix Ultra lubricants, we were able to maximize its performance, reliability, and speed over the grueling eight hours. Under the supreme driver team of Angie King, Tyson Sy, and Gaby dela Merced, the team not only finished first overall against more powerful competitors, but broke the number of laps recorded for the 8-hour endurance challenge,” Tan added.

The Mazda MX-5’s overall victory at the 2022 Makabayan Endurance Race Challenge is just the latest race win for the sportscar in the Philippines.

It won the 8-Oras ng Pilipinas and the 12-Hour Kalayaan Cup in 2019, and the 12-Hour Kalayaan Cup in 2021.

Bermaz Auto Philippines, Inc. (Mazda Philippines) is the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles and parts in the Philippines. Mazda Philippines’ exemplary after-sales service record has been ranked #1 in the industry twice — in the 2016 and 2019 J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study. There are 15 Mazda 3S dealerships located across the Philippines and Metro Manila – Mazda Greenhills, Mazda Quezon Avenue, Mazda Makati, Mazda Alabang, Mazda Sta. Rosa, Mazda Pulilan, Mazda Pampanga, Mazda Dagupan, Mazda Cabanatuan, Mazda Tarlac, Mazda Cebu, Mazda Iloilo, Mazda Bacolod, Mazda Cagayan De Oro, and Mazda Davao.

Photos from Mazda Philippines

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